Like this:

I was living in Sunderland and had a couple of cupboards where I stored plastic bags. My son said that I did not need all the plastic bags I was storing. This is obvious from the photograph, where there are not just the visible bags, but bags within bags. When I first met my present husband I discovered that his name for me on his computer was “bag lady”. This did not come from my plethora of handbags but from the fact that I always seemed to be lugging stuff around in plastic bags (and had holes in my boots). These days are now gone. The growth of plastic bags in the trees of Sunderland, flapping in breezes, hanging down in rain, was not a joyous sight. I save some plastic bags still, but use them and re-use them; and I also have a lovely proper material bag with an elephant on it for carrying a book, a brush, the paper. This photograph turned up when I was unpacking my possessions which have been in store for seven years. A poignant business, and fun too in some ways. This is why I have not been posting on WordPress, I haven’t taken a photograph for some time, and as well as unpacking about 150 boxes I am deep in finishing the pictures for The Midnight Hare; I am waiting to get back to my normal life, when I could wander aimlessly for England – or Scotland maybe, as that is where I now live. I am all in favour of the charge on plastic bags, they should do the same for all plastic, and besides, it is I am sure perfectly possible to make bio-degradeable plastic; I bought some allegedly bio-degradeable bags at the Co-op last week to line my waste bin. So there.

Share this:

Like this:

About

I’m Cara, and I live in Coldstream, in the Scottish Borders As well as writing and illustrating books for children I have recently been painting on canvas, in my octagonal studio (aka The Tardis) which inhabits a corner of the vegetable garden. My work for children has been published in several countries, and translated into different languages. My favourite form at the moment is the picture book, but I have also had published poetry, children’s novels, and illustrations for the work of other authors. I go out most days with my camera and create blog entries from the results. Some of the pictures I take will be used as background material for the picture book which I am working on at the moment. My son Matty set up this WordPress blog for me, and it has added a dimension to my life which surprises me. It is also interesting and inspiring to read the blogs of other people from different parts of the world, and to look at their sometimes fascinating pictures.